Recently my wife and I spotted a group of moths flying in our very clean walk-in pantry. Thanks to Google, we quickly discovered that the insects were pantry moths. The only way to get rid of them is to throw it all away and clean it thoroughly. We did that two weeks ago and my update is just as alarming.
When I was discussing this on the air a few days ago, the audience warned me that it would be difficult to get rid of. But we cleaned particularly effectively and almost everything was thrown away. We even added airtight containers for anything that wasn’t sealed. We were completely successful until two days ago. We spotted one of the moths on the ceiling so I killed it and threw it in the outdoor trash.
Last night I made rice for the family and spotted the moths … in a sealed jar. You probably want to make fun of me!
Pantry Moth (Photo by Bill Keeler / TSM)
That’ll sound gross, but there were four moths in the jar and what looked like nests for the larvae, even in the rice. This was a large jar with a tightly screwed lid. They were still getting in.
While reading about these pesky pests, I realized that you really need a container with a strong seal or they’ll get in. And they did. I kept the rice in a gallon jar with a screw-on lid. In doing so, I found that the moths and their larvae actually crawl under the lid and are small enough to get into the jar. And I suspect if they could get in they could probably get out.
Pantry Moth (Photo by Bill Keeler / TSM)
We resealed the jar and took it outside and tossed it in a trash bag that we put in our trash can. We then sterilized the jar and lid and left it to soak overnight. I hope the rice actually pulled them all into one place and this move will be our final step in eradication.
Photo by Paul Buckley for WIBX
To be on the safe side, a listener named Buck sent me this tip on a Black Flag product that attracts the skimpy bugs and then traps them for disposal. This is one of the better ways to keep them under control.
I hope I can update this very annoying story and I hope the end of the problem is near.
